What is the good news of Jesus? And what exactly is good about it? Why should we care – or much less why should the world care about this news? What does being a Jesus-follower look like in the 21st century?

‘Our Father, who is in Heaven. Hallowed by your name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us of our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but Deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’

What is the ‘gospel?’ The typical answer in most Evangelical circles is typically some variation of a courtroom scene. God, the omnipotent, omniscient judge sits with his gavel awaiting the court proceedings. You (me) are on trial accused of sins against God and against humanity with Jesus as your defense attorney. Satan, the crafty accuser, prosecutes the case with convincing rhetoric and vigor and his case is so convincing that you are found guilty and sentenced to death. As you ponder your fate, the Son of God and the Liar of Liars approach the judge’s bench and in the most magnificent legal maneuver of all time Jesus takes your guilt upon himself and accepts the death penalty allowing you to go free. Now you are free to enjoy eternal life with God in heaven escaping the fiery pits of hell.

As the dominant metaphor for western Christianity, consider four limitations of this model.

1. Transactional (vs. Relational): This model describes a legal or business transaction that occurs between Jesus and Satan in order to appease the wrath of God rather than emphasizing a relationship with God that Jesus offers through the Holy Spirit.
2. Individualistic (vs. Communal): The grand cosmic courtroom scene occurs on the individual’s behalf with no concern for the other 7 Billion people on the planet. Loving one’s neighbor in community is an optional “extra credit” option for overachievers rather than essential to the heart of discipleship. It allows me to love God without loving you.
3. Salvation-oriented (vs. Discipleship): Salvation has been given and decided once and for all and the only requirement is ‘hiring’ Jesus to be your defense attorney. Ethics – one’s actions or lifestyle – and the call to be transformed into the image of Jesus is an afterthought.
4. Heaven-Focused (vs. New Creation): The goal of getting saved is to avoid hell and enjoy the eternal presence of God and his angels. No concern is expressed for righting the wrongs of this world or preserving creation because heaven is really what matters. Rather than seeking God’s unification of heaven and earth, this sees our goal as escaping earth for a separate spiritual reality called “heaven.”

The good news of Jesus is less a cosmic, divine transaction and more a story of a loving God seeking reconciliation of all creation into his grand story. His-story is full of faithfulness and brokenness, success and scandal, purity and sexual infidelity, brilliance and bone-headedness. His story culminates with him entering the story as man and showing the world what it means to be fully human within a new way of life among like-minded people. He called this the kingdom of God and it is near! Now! The future day when all things are made new is to be lived out today in the midst of his people – his church. We as Jesus-followers are bringing heaven to earth and participating in His mission of reconciliation. This is good news for everyone! And this is why we pray – ‘Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

The good news of Jesus is that he has inaugurated God’s kingdom